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MSc. Ghada Yousif
Doctoral student
Department of Ecology
School of Biology/ Chemistry
University of Osnabrück
Barbarastrasse 13
49076 Osnabrück, Germany
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Research interests
I am studying metabolic interdependencies within soil dwelling bacteria. I am exploring what controls the loss of essential metabolic function and how bacteria compensate that by communicating and depending on neighbors’ microorganisms. Few keywords seem to provide an answer to my questions: cross-feeding, interconnection and cooperation.
Education and Scientific Career
Since April 2015 Ph.D in Microbial Ecology and Evolution
My project addresses the evolution of metabolic interdependencies within natural bacterial communities. Bacteria
cooperate and communicate with each other, for example by exchanging metabolites. Interestingly, some of these
metabolites are present as public goods, which are freely available to other members of a given community. The Black
Queen Hypothesis (BQH) predicts that members of a bacterial community benefit from losing biosynthetic genes,
becoming auxotrophs, if the corresponding metabolite is provided by other members. In my project, I am testing the
BQH within soil bacterial communities using amino acids auxotrophy as a model to investigate what controls loss of
such essential genes and cooperation. Untangled such interactions will help in understanding the forces shaping
bacterial communities and propose novel strategies to increase the culturability of the natural microbiome.
2014 MSc in Microbiology
I have studied the diversity and potentialities of actinobacteria isolated form the mangrove habitats in Egypt. I have
managed to isolate novel actinobacterial isolates which had a good antimicrobial activity against a panel of pathogenic
bacteria. I had a joint master program where I spent two years at Beni-Suef University, Egypt and ten months in School of
Biology at Newcastle University, UK.
2007 Bachelor of Science
My project addresses the evolution of metabolic interdependencies within natural bacterial communities. Bacteria
cooperate and communicate with each other, for example by exchanging metabolites. Interestingly, some of these
metabolites are present as public goods, which are freely available to other members of a given community. The Black
Queen Hypothesis (BQH) predicts that members of a bacterial community benefit from losing biosynthetic genes,
becoming auxotrophs, if the corresponding metabolite is provided by other members. In my project, I am testing the
BQH within soil bacterial communities using amino acids auxotrophy as a model to investigate what controls loss of
such essential genes and cooperation. Untangled such interactions will help in understanding the forces shaping
bacterial communities and propose novel strategies to increase the culturability of the natural microbiome.
2014 MSc in Microbiology
I have studied the diversity and potentialities of actinobacteria isolated form the mangrove habitats in Egypt. I have
managed to isolate novel actinobacterial isolates which had a good antimicrobial activity against a panel of pathogenic
bacteria. I had a joint master program where I spent two years at Beni-Suef University, Egypt and ten months in School of
Biology at Newcastle University, UK.
2007 Bachelor of Science
Honours and Awards
2015-2018 DAAD (German-Egyptian Long Term Scholarship (GERLS)) for full Ph.D in Germnay.
2014 Famelab for communicating Science, Runner Up, Egypt
2012 ParOwn scholarship offered by the Egyptian higher education ministry for conducting my master project at school of Biology,
Newcastle University, UK.
2014 Famelab for communicating Science, Runner Up, Egypt
2012 ParOwn scholarship offered by the Egyptian higher education ministry for conducting my master project at school of Biology,
Newcastle University, UK.
Poster Presentations
September, 2016 “Why make it when you can just take it? The evolution of metabolic cross-feeding interactions in bacteria”, Max Planck
Institute for Chemical Ecology symposium, Jena, Germany.
March, 2016 “Visiting the Black Queen: Identifying metabolic dependencies in soil bacterial communities”, VAAM-Jahrestagung
conference, Jena, Germany.
March, 2013 “The isolation of novel marine Streptomyces isolates from mangrove forests, Egypt”. Spring Conference, Society of
General Microbiology, Manchester, UK.
Institute for Chemical Ecology symposium, Jena, Germany.
March, 2016 “Visiting the Black Queen: Identifying metabolic dependencies in soil bacterial communities”, VAAM-Jahrestagung
conference, Jena, Germany.
March, 2013 “The isolation of novel marine Streptomyces isolates from mangrove forests, Egypt”. Spring Conference, Society of
General Microbiology, Manchester, UK.
Publications
Giri S, Oña L, Waschina S, Shitut S, Yousif G, Kaleta C, Kost C. (2021) Metabolic dissimilarity determines the establishment of cross-feeding interactions in bacteria. Current Biology S0960-9822(21)01408-1.
D’Souza G, Shitut S, Preussger D, Yousif G, Waschina S, Kost C. Ecology and evolution of metabolic cross-feeding interactions in bacteria, Natural Product Reports, (2018) Nat. Prod. Rep., 35, 455-488. doi: 10.1039/c8np00009c.
Yousif, G., et al. (2015). “Streptomyces mangrovi sp. nov., isolated from mangrove forest sediment." Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 108(6): 1497-1497.
D’Souza G, Shitut S, Preussger D, Yousif G, Waschina S, Kost C. Ecology and evolution of metabolic cross-feeding interactions in bacteria, Natural Product Reports, (2018) Nat. Prod. Rep., 35, 455-488. doi: 10.1039/c8np00009c.
Yousif, G., et al. (2015). “Streptomyces mangrovi sp. nov., isolated from mangrove forest sediment." Antonie van Leeuwenhoek 108(6): 1497-1497.
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